1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a jig for waterproofing clearances between electric wires and to a method for waterproofing clearances between electric wires, and more particularly relates to a jig for waterproofing clearances between electric wires and a method for waterproofing clearances between electric wires which can be applied to a wire harness composed by bundling a plurality of electric wires and can prevent water from entering an interior of a vehicle body panel through clearances between the electric wires from outside of the vehicle body panel by filling the clearances with a sealant.
2. Description of Background Information
In general, a wire harness which is installed in an automotive vehicle is formed by bundling a plurality of electric wires. A terminal provided on an end of each electric wire is connected to an electrical device such as an ECU, thereby electrically interconnecting the electrical devices.
In the case where such a wire harness is arranged from outside a vehicle body panel to an interior of the panel, water will enter the interior of the panel from an engine compartment or space through clearances between the electric wires forming a wire harness. This will result in operational errors in the ECU or the like. Accordingly, it is necessary to apply a waterproofing treatment to the clearances between electric wires.
For convenience of explanation, a prior waterproofing jig for clearances between electric wires will be described with reference to FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b). FIG. 4(a) is a perspective view of a conventional wire harness assembling jig. FIG. 4(b) is a front elevation view of the conventional waterproofing jig for clearances between electric wires.
Heretofore, a method shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) is known as one of waterproofing methods. In FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), U-shaped jigs 1 and 2 extend upwardly from a wire harness assembling base (not shown). The U-shaped jig 1 has a wide width so as to hold electric wires 3 as a bundle while the U-shaped jig 2 has a great height to enable arrangement of the electric wires in a juxtaposed manner.
A waterproofing jig 4 for clearances between electric wires includes a U-shaped support body 6 having a single receiving chamber 5 in which the electric wires are received and arranged in a juxtaposed manner. The support body 6 is provided on opposed inner peripheral surfaces with a plurality of nozzle holes 4a through which a sealant such as an adhesive (not shown) is ejected into the receiving chamber 5. The support body 6 is connected to an adhesive-ejection tank (not shown).
In order to seal the clearances between the electric wires 3 by means of the support body 6, the support body 6 is positioned over clearances between the electric wires 3 which are arranged in a juxtaposed manner between the U-shaped jigs 2 so that the electric wires 3 are contained in the receiving chamber 5. An adhesive is ejected from the ejecting tank through nozzle holes 4a onto the electric wires 3 to fill the clearances between the electric wires 3 with the adhesive, and then the support body 6 is removed from the electric wires 3. Consequently, the adhesive can seal the clearances between the electric wires 3.
A waterproofing rubber compound may be provided in the clearances between the electric wires 3 arranged between the U-shaped jig 2 in a juxtaposed manner without using any waterproofing jig for clearances between electric wires, thereby filling up the clearances with the rubber compound.
However, in such a conventional waterproofing jig 4 for clearances between electric wires, the support body 6 has only one receiving chamber 5 which serves to contain the electric wires 3 in a juxtaposed manner. If a wire harness has a large size, it is necessary to arrange the electric wires juxtaposed in a vertical direction. This requires a higher working space in a vertical direction.
It is also necessary that the uppermost and lowermost electric wires juxtaposed in a vertical direction are longer than intermediate electric wires. This results in an excessive length for each of the uppermost and lowermost electric wires. The electric wires having excessive lengths must be cut off after filling the clearances between the electric wires 3 with the adhesive. This problem will occur in the case of fitting the waterproofing rubber into the clearances between the electric wires.
An object of the present invention is to provide a jig for waterproofing clearances between electric wires and a method for waterproofing clearances between electric wires which can fill clearances between electric wires with a sealant, by utilizing a small space, attain work readiness, and prevent the electric wires from resulting in an excessive length, thereby eliminating the necessity of post-treatment.
In order to overcome the above problems, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a jig for waterproofing clearances between electric wires, wherein a sealant is filled into clearances between a plurality of electric wires to waterproof the clearances between the electric wires. The waterproofing jig includes a support body having at least two receiving chambers, each receiving chamber being configured to receive a plurality of electric wires in a juxtaposed manner and a plurality of nozzle holes formed in the support body for ejecting the sealant into the chambers.
The sealant is ejected from the nozzle holes into the receiving chambers after containing a plurality of electric wires juxtaposed in each receiving chamber. Then, the electric wires are bundled after they are removed from the receiving chambers. Thus, it is possible to fill clearances between electric wires with a sealant, thereby waterproofing the clearances.
In the present invention, plural sets (on the contrary, only one set in the prior art) of juxtaposed electric wires are arranged in parallel to one another and the support body can inject the sealant into the clearances between the plural sets of the juxtaposed electric wires. Accordingly, the support body does not require a large amount of space in a vertical direction and can fill the clearances between the electric wires with the sealant within a small space and enhances readiness in waterproofing the clearances between the electric wires.
Since the juxtaposed electric wires are not arranged in a wide vertical area, it is possible to prevent the uppermost and lowermost electric wires from resulting in excessive lengths, thereby eliminating a step of treating the excessive lengths of the electric wires.
In order to overcome the above problems, another aspect of the invention is directed to a jig for waterproofing clearances between electric wires which further includes an adjusting member mounted on the support body for changing an opening area of the nozzle holes.
In another aspect of the present invention, a jig for waterproofing clearances between electric wires is provided that wherein the adjusting member includes at least one plate provided with holes corresponding to the nozzle holes. Additionally, the at least one plate may be slidable relative to the support body for changing the opening area of the nozzle holes, and an actuator for the at least one plate may be provided.
It is possible to adjust a quantity of a sealant to be injected into the receiving chambers and thus possible to inject a quantity of a sealant suitable for any number of electric wires.
In order to overcome the above problems, still another aspect of the invention is directed to a method for waterproofing clearances between electric wires which includes preparing a jig for waterproofing clearances between electric wires, wherein a sealant is filled into clearances between a plurality of electric wires to waterproof the clearances between the electric wires. The jig includes a support body having at least two receiving chambers, each receiving chamber being configured to receive a plurality of electric wires in a juxtaposed manner. A plurality of nozzle holes are formed in the support body for injecting the sealant into the chambers. The method further includes injecting the sealant from the nozzle holes after containing the electric wires in the receiving chambers, and bundling the electric wires after removing the electric wires from the receiving chambers.
In another aspect of the present invention, plural sets (on the contrary, only one set in the prior art) of juxtaposed electric wires are arranged in parallel to one another and the support body can inject the sealant into the clearances between the plural sets of the juxtaposed electric wires. Accordingly, the support body does not require a large amount of space in a vertical direction and can fill the clearances between the electric wires with the sealant within a small space and thus enhance readiness in waterproofing the clearances between the electric wires.
Since the juxtaposed electric wires are not arranged in a large vertical area, it is possible to prevent the uppermost and lowermost electric wires from resulting in excessive lengths, thereby eliminating a step of treating the excessive lengths of the electric wires.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for waterproofing clearances between electric wire of a wire harness formed from a plurality of electric wires. The system includes a plurality of first generally U-shaped jigs mounted on a wiring board to extend upwardly therefrom, the first jigs configured to first and second ends of the wire harness. A plurality of second generally U-shaped jigs are mounted on the wiring board between the first jigs, the second jigs configured to retain a portion of the electric wires of the wire harness in a vertically spaced array. Additionally, a waterproofing jig is configured to be positioned over each portion of electric wires to inject a sealant into clearances between the electric wires.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the system may further include forming the waterproofing jig to include a support body including at least two receiving chambers, each receiving chamber configured to receive a respective portion of the electric wires, and the support body may include a plurality of nozzle holes communicating with the receiving chambers.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the system may include an adjusting member mounted on the support body for changing an opening area of the nozzle holes, and the adjusting member may include at least one plate provided with holes corresponding to the nozzle holes. The at least one plate may be slidable relative to the support body for changing the opening area of the nozzle holes, and an actuator for the at least one plate may be provided.